


Good For You

by DedicatedDetectives



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Arguing, F/M, One-Sided Relationship, Tension, rated mature just for language and some suggestions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:20:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23789212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DedicatedDetectives/pseuds/DedicatedDetectives
Summary: Nick and Olivia share some tense encounters. Set during Season 13, specifically after S13E15.
Relationships: Nick Amaro/Olivia Benson, Olivia Benson/David Haden
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Good For You

**Author's Note:**

> I miss Nick Amaro and the chaotic [sexual] tension he always created with Olivia.
> 
> I also miss David Haden because DAMN he treated my woman good.
> 
> I wrote this a long time ago, found it, cleaned it up, and here it is. 
> 
> I'm still working on my other WIPs, I promise. More to come soon.
> 
> I don't own these characters; the belong to the lovely SVU writers.
> 
> Let me know if you enjoy! XD

“Have a good weekend?” Nick asked upon Olivia’s arrival outside the door of their next interviewee.

“Yeah, errands.” Olivia responded.

Nick stared back at her, a smile creeping up on his face. Sure, he was always pretty aware of his partner’s mood, but this one wasn’t hard to read. She was trying to act natural, but she was glowing.

“Good for you,” Nick smiled at her. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Olivia always had an aura that drew him in, but when she was genuinely happy, it was a whole new ballgame. And it was hard to ignore.

She gave him a confused look. A confused, guilty look. Because she, too, knew that she was giving off a happier energy than she usually did outside victims’ doors in the early morning.

“It’s just nice to see you happy,” Nick responded. And it was. He cares about Olivia. She’s his partner, his friend. He’s almost like a brother to her. Or at least that’s how she sees him.

When Olivia gave him another look, feigning confusion, Nick just smiled again and shrugged. “It is. It’s nice to see you happy.”

And he sincerely meant it, too. For a while.

As the days went on, more and more cases came their way. Tough ones, too. But Olivia’s bright mood never faltered.

She spent more time than he had ever seen on the phone taking personal calls. To him, it seemed like he was constantly walking into the end of her phone conversations. He never even got a greeting anymore. He just got to hear her saying, “I’ll see you tonight. Can’t wait,” with a smile before hanging up, putting her serious face back on, and asking for a recap on the case. He wondered if the guy on the other end of the line even took the time to appreciate that smile. 

Throughout the week, he got to hear everything from “Oh, so you’re taking me out tonight? Will I be impressed?” to “My place or yours tonight?” to “I just can’t wait to get out of here.” to her giggling. Yes, she was actually giggling. He never said anything about it, though. Mainly because they didn’t talk anymore. She never even asked him how he was. 

It all spent some time building up inside of him until one day, he walked into the cribs, utterly exhausted and just wanting 10 minutes to rest. Olivia was in there, talking on the phone with her back towards Nick, completely unaware of his entrance. 

“I told you, I had to get up this morning. I needed a shower,” she paused. “You were the one who rolled over and said you were going back to sleep,” she paused again. Nick knew he should walk out, or announce he was there, but something kept him in place. “Not all of us have the luxury of sleeping in, counselor.” Another pause. When she spoke again, her voice got quieter. “Don’t even try to say you weren’t invited. I practically _begged_ you to get in.”

He had heard enough. 

“Olivia,” he said sharply, voice raised. 

She jumped and turned around, obviously shaken that someone had heard her conversation. 

“Can I please have the room for 10 minutes, if you don’t mind getting off the phone with Mr. Right for that long?”

Her face showed concern as she mumbled, “I’m sorry, gotta go,” and hung up.

“Nick? Are you alright?” She stared at him, perplexed.

“Can’t you just.. save that for your own time, Olivia?” he asked, frustrated. “I’m running on no sleep, and I would like a few minutes to myself. Maybe a few that don’t involve the tail end of whatever phone conversation you’re having at the moment. I just want to lie down. Please.”

“I’m.. sorry,” she started, but her expression was more confused and concerned than remorseful. “Of course you can have the room, Nick. You just needed to ask.”

“Here’s the thing, though, Olivia. That would involve us actually speaking about something that doesn’t involve a case. And I can’t remember the last time that happened, even for a few minutes.” His hand ran over his mouth and chin in exasperation before dropping to his side. “You know, I used to think I mattered to you. But now I know better.” His hands moved to his hips.

“What are you talking about? If this is about David—” she paused. They never disclosed. _Shit_.

“Wait a minute,” he clasped his hands together, tone growing even angrier. “Did you just say… Are you talking about David Haden?”

“I understand that you’re upset right now, Nick, but please. You cannot tell anyone about this,” Olivia pleaded.

“Oh, I see.” Nick jabbed. “You don’t talk to me for days, but now that you accidentally admitted you’re with an ADA, you’re asking for favors.” 

“Nick, what’s going on here?” Olivia asked, raising her voice in confusion.

“I cannot believe you’re secretly involved with an ADA. That’s commendable, Liv. Really,” he sighed. “I should have seen this coming from a mile away. This is exactly like you.”

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” Olivia asked, going on the defensive. 

“Nothing. I just don’t _get_ it,” Nick admitted.

“Is that what this is, Nick? You’re jealous?” Olivia asked, tone more concerned than snarky.

“Why shouldn’t I be, Olivia?” he asked sharply, a sad smile on his face.

Silence hung in the room for a moment. 

“Nick, you’re married,” she whispered, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah. I FaceTime Maria every other day, and most of the time it’s like she doesn’t even want to talk to me. If she even bothers to pick up, we argue.” His tone is back to mad. “So once I decide that she won’t be answering me that day, I hang up and walk into your love-affair phone conversations. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?”

“Nick, I’m sorry,” she begins, but he cuts her off.

“I’m pretty much standing around waiting for a Dear John letter from the woman I love. Do you know what that’s like? And then I’ve spent months trying to tell myself that I shouldn’t care for you the way I do, but it doesn’t just go away. Trust me, Olivia, I’ve tried. So then I get to listen to you be in love with someone else, knowing that I won’t have that. I cannot hear one more of those phone conversations.” He shook his head and paused long enough to allow her to respond.

“We’re partners, Nick,” Olivia said sympathetically. “It can’t be like that.”

“Yeah, but here’s the thing I don’t get, Olivia.” Nick snapped back. “You make all of these exceptions for everyone but me. You’ll sleep with Cassidy. You’ll date an ADA. You work with them, too! But I’m your partner, so you can’t think of me like that.” He paused, looked down, and took a breath. Then he looked up at her again. “Just like you never thought of Elliot like that, right?”

“Nick…” Her tone was no longer sympathetic; it was a warning. 

But he didn’t heed her warning. “Because do you know what I’ve heard, Olivia?” He stared at her, taunting her, knowing full well that he was pushing her buttons. “I’ve heard you were basically with him anyway, even though he was married. And your partner. _And_ he left you. But I bet if he walked through that door right now, it would be like you never met David Haden, right? So don’t even tell me that this is about us being partners.”

She took long strides towards him. “Why the _fuck_ do you think that you can tell me how I felt or what I would do right now? What? You know me? You haven’t been here even a _quarter_ of how long he knew me.”

Voice raised, he continued. “Yeah, actually, I do! I’m your partner, Olivia! It is my _job_ to know you. It’s my _job_ to care about you. But all of this, do you know what it has told me? I don’t get the same in return. If it’s not about a case, you don’t care about me.”

“I do, Nick.” Olivia said, attempting to get her voice to even out a bit. “But I have no idea what to say to you right now. I can’t even believe this.”

“No, Olivia,” he said. “You don’t. But I care about you. I meant it when I said that it’s good to see you happy. I know I’m upset right now, and I’m sorry. But my heart has been screaming at me for weeks, and you never even paused to ask me if I was okay.” He paused. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, but you just.. needed to know. Because I would really like to get back even half of what I’m giving out.” He paused again. “Anyway. You can call him back now.”

Nick turned and walked out of the room, door swinging closed behind him as Olivia stood alone in the middle of the room, jaw dropped.


End file.
